The North Carolina State Fair opened on Oct. 17 and engages visitors with dramatic rides and varied and delicious foods. Children and parents from across the state have come to experience the fun at the fair. In addition to these activities, the event also featured talented Green Hope artists. Renee McClernon (‘25), Jenna Lee (‘25), Anahi Benavente (‘25), Lily Hightower (‘25), Marcus Hulbig (‘26) and Caitlin Kelly (‘26) all had the opportunity to showcase their artiwork at the fair.
Student sculpture demonstrates resilience in artistic journey
McClernon’s pumpkin was part of a project in her first sculpture class. “Once I got started I let my creativity take over and made what felt right.” She spent two weeks creating this piece – molding the clay into a smooth sphere then manipulating it into a pumpkin shape and attaching the stem and cutting out the pumpkin’s facial features then placing it into a fire kiln and finally painting the pumpkin.
To McClernon, this piece of art was meant to convey resilience when it comes to obstacles people come across through her process in creating sculptures. In an interview with the GH Falcon, she admitted to having trouble manipulating the clay into the perfect pumpkin shape, initially, and decided to make it a rotten one instead. “Not every piece of artwork is going to turn out exactly as planned and it’s important to be creative and adaptable when things don’t go how they are anticipated,” McClernon said.
McClernon was grateful to have the opportunity to show her artwork. “Growing up, my family always visited the artwork at the fair so being provided with the opportunity to have a piece of my own being displayed was really exciting,” she said.
Artists pull inspiration from international influences and nostalgia
Hightower’s inspiration comes from Japanese style woodblock printing, her goal was to capture the energy and excitement of a heron catching its prey. “I love the detail and dynamic color schemes, the limited color palette and subject of a heron are both directly inspired by this style of printing,” she explained.
To achieve this outcome, Hightower used the tedious process of sketching out her design on linoleum then repeatedly carving out what was necessary for the desired colors. With this method, the artist chooses a base color then carves away what they don’t want to be colored. They then carry out their first print. Next, the process of carving out what the artist doesn’t want colored is repeated. She carried this out for four separate prints of color to achieve the heron picture. “It’s actually a very convoluted process, it’s sometimes a difficult process and slightly annoying as once you have moved on to the next layer you cannot go back,” she admitted.
Anahi, on the other hand, pulled inspiration from her roots. “Childhood nostalgia inspired this painting – the piece is based off of a photo of me when I was a baby,” Anahi said, laughing. “I wanted people to get the message of how childhood memories are something to cherish and hold on to.” To complete ‘Boy with Duck’ – the name of her painting – she started off with a blue underpaint and gradually built up the layers to create a ‘loose look’. For the artist, this meant making the colors flow well to effectively represent water. “I wanted the colors to flow well to represent water, since [the] baby photo was one … in the bathtub,” Anahi explained.
The students were honored to have their work displayed at the fair for family and friends to admire. It was a rewarding experience as most of them enjoy manipulating everyday ideas and objects into works of art. From their journeys, the artists encouraged students to explore and try new things they are passionate about. “Everyone has a unique artistic style and the only way to grow is to find that style and run with it. Once that happens, opportunities will present themselves on their own,” McClernon said.
